Reverie
by BellaEllaWriter
Summary: Belle and Adam are engaged and just want to live happily ever after. But first Belle must gain the approval of The Dignitaries, a group of people who can be less than agreeable. Belle tries, but things quickly go from bad to worse!
1. Meeting the Dignitaries

**Hello! I saw Beauty and the Beast (2017) for the second time recently, and I hope to go again in the near future! I loved the movie, and if I love something what I often do is make a mental fanfic of it, which I sometimes write down and make an actual fanfic! This story is basically going to be about what happens when Belle and Adam need some dignitaries approval to marry, but things escalate. I'll just let you read it and decide what you think!**

 **Me: Ready?**

 **You: Wait! *Rushes to get nearest Ice Cream, rushes back to fanfic* Ok, ready!**

 **Me: Good. *Turns to Disney* Right, I need the rights to Beauty and the Beast 2017 please?**

 **Disney: Hmm...**

 **Me: While you're at it, can you give me the rights to Tangled? And Mulan? And Enchanted? And Moana? Oh, and Frozen!**

 **Disney: Fine**

 **Me: REALLY! *Jumps up and down with happiness***

 **Disney: Of course not! Why would we give you the rights to some of our biggest moneymakers?!**

 **Me: You should be disappointed in yourselves.**

 **You: GET ON WITH THE STORY ALREADY!**

 **Yeah... I don't own Beauty and the Beast (2017)! (Yet!)**

"But Princesses just don't wear dresses like that! Especially not to official dinners!"

"I'm not an official princess yet. And I don't care what the dignitaries think."

"Still, you don't want to anger them. They control almost everything."

"Bernadette, are you saying they could stop the marriage? Because I'm pretty sure they have no ultimate control."

"I'm just saying be careful! They can make things work their way, and if they hate you… If they hate you they won't hesitate to ruin your life!"

"I think you may just be listening to village gossip. Anyway, I'm ready now. Thank you Bernadette, I'll tell you the results."

"Yes madame" Bernadette backed out of the room quickly. Bernadette was nice, and she was new to the staff, but one of the few who were. She was lucky that she'd never found herself turned into hairbrush.

Belle shook her head just thinking these strange thoughts. When she looked in the mirror, she only saw herself in a simple teal dress. Surely the dignitaries wouldn't be that offended by her 'casual' dress. She would never have worn anything like this when she lived in Villeneuve. She glanced at the ring on her finger. It was a ring handed down through the royal family, and she was honoured to have it. Then she looked at her other hand and stared at the ring that had once been her mother's. Whenever she thought about her mother, she thought about a fearless, determined, unique, likeable person. Belle had always tried to be like her, but people didn't seem to like her for it. They had just seen her as someone who needed to learn to fit in. That was until she came to the castle. She could be herself here, be appreciated for who she was. Appreciated by Adam. Why did she still have that lust for adventure? She shook her head. Now was not the time for thinking about that. She had some important introductions to make.

Adam met her out on what Belle called 'The Outdoor Walkway' (the one Lumiere had first taken her through, which meant it was one of her earlier memories of the castle, and one of her favourites).

"Ready?" She asked.

"Yes. What do you think?" She shyly twirled her dress around a little.

"Beautiful. As always," he smiled at her with the look of complete love that she often found him giving her.

"I know it's a little informal, but I hate corsets and it doesn't really matter. Right?"

"Belle, relax," he slid his hand into hers, "What you wear shouldn't matter. They will be impressed by you, and how amazing you are."

She smiled gratefully at him, "You might have a bit of bias."

He kissed her on the forehead, "That doesn't mean that it isn't true."

"You know, they are not going to be impressed if we're late, no matter how amazing I am."

They made their way towards the main entrance, where they waited whilst gentleman after gentleman made their own strange entrance.

First of all an older gentleman who walked with an air of being the most important person in the world. He wore a red suit with gold thread. He nodded to Adam and said "Your highness," as if he was the dignitary.

Adam simply smiled bemusedly and said "Sir Augustus, this is my fiancee Belle."

Augustus nodded to her with a glare, before proceeding to sit by the fireplace.

The next dignitary entered wearing all grey, and staring at a book. He raised a hand towards them muttering something before making his way towards Sir Augustus.

"That was Sir Albrecht," Adam whispered to Belle.

The next gentleman who entered was younger, with a big bushy moustache and a thinning head of hair. "Monsieur, Mademoiselle. I am Zir Theodore!" He was dressed in all green and walked with almost a spring in his step.

The next person was a young man, with brown hair cut in a style that looked almost exactly like a bowl on top of his head. He was wearing the most awful combination of reds, yellows, and greens, with a squashy blue hat with a giant purple feather to top it all off. He almost sprinted towards Belle and gushed "Mademoiselle, Tu es si jolie!" And sloppily threw his mouth against both cheeks before kissing her full on the lips. Belle was so startled that she stood for a moment before trying to prise this strange person off of her, which didn't quite succeed. Belle could feel his tongue trying to find it's way into her mouth when she heard an 'ahem!'. This was Sir Augustus, who was frowning. Sir Theodore had one eyebrow raised and Adam was trying his hardest not to burst out laughing. She narrowed her eyes at him before carefully curtsying to the strange young man and slipping away from him.

When everyone made their way to dinner Adam slipped his arm through Belle's, "I see you met Ralph," he whispered bemusedly.

"Is he one of the dignitaries? He's very…" She struggled to find a positive way of phrasing it, "…Very energetic. I'm guessing the kissing thing was a traditional greeting or something?"

"Yes, and Ralph is very good at putting all his energy into it. Do I have competition now?"

"Adam, I am not that type of girl! Even if I were, he must have been eating something foul! I am never 'greeting' him in a traditional fashion again! Not that I wanted to in the first place!" She added quickly.

Adam was trying desperately to contain his laughter by now, "Oh, Belle! You know I was joking!"

Thankfully he'd calmed down by the time they reached the dining room. The dignitaries all seemed to be watching them alertly, even Albrecht had given his documents to his servant (Belle decided that she needed to introduce herself to each dignitary's servants and make them feel welcome), and was looking at Belle.

"Where's our…" Belle could see Augustus having the same struggle she'd had, "Young friend."

"He implied he'd be a little late for dinner," Adam replied.

"Zo, Mademoiselle…" Theodore began.

"Please, call me Belle."

"Do you like to read?" This was the first time Albrecht had spoken.

"Read! A woman! Albrecht, where did you get such an idiotic idea?!" Augustus exclaimed.

"Why can't a woman read!" Belle declared defensively.

"It's just not right for a woman to read! She might start getting ideas and opinions, thinking herself equal to a man! We just can't have that!"

"What can be wrong with a woman having ideas or opinions? Why should a woman have to be inferior to a man?" Belle said reasonably, but offended by what Augustus was saying.

Augustus looked truly taken aback for a moment. Belle had a feeling she was one of the first people to disagree with him. He then proceeded to glare with a horrified expression, first at her, then to Adam.

"My! My! How good it feels to relive yourself after a long – or even a short – journey! Am I right? Or am I right?!" He seemed to notice the hostility travelling across the table, or maybe it was Theodore's awkward expression. "I say! Did I miss anything?"

"No Ralph. Nothing at all," Theodore said quickly, before turning to the prince. "Zo, how deed you-"

"I say! I had the most devastating experience on the way here!" Ralph cut in, "I was having my favourite food, Sea Caviar and cucumber sandwiches, when this bird!" Ralph paused for intended dramatic effect, "Came and snatched one of them right out of my hand!" He flung his arms out to his sides, hitting poor Sir Theodore right in the face.

Conversation continued in a similar manner, with Ralph making strange theatrical gesture after strange theatrical gesture.

Everyone left the minute they got the chance. Sir Theodore and Sir Albrecht headed for the library, and Sir Augustus flounced to his room. This left Belle and Adam to stay in Ralph's company. Very unfortunately.

"Well," Belle said when she knew she couldn't hear about another daisy chains process of being made, "I need to sort something out with the servants, so I must leave you two to this – truly fascinating – conversation."

"I hope to talk again soon, Princess!" Ralph declared, throwing himself before her and slobbering all over her hand. Belle was so desperate to get away that she didn't bother to correct him.

When she looked back she saw Adam giving her one of his grumpiest looks.

She went and met Mrs Camomile, a thin, no nonsense cook with an exceptionally large nose. She wasn't very conversational, and neither was Robert, Albrecht's footman. Belle met and liked Manny Maple, Theodore's wrinkled old housekeeper who was very spirited when you got talking with her.

"I must say, I love your dress!" She was talking about Belle's blue pinafore, which she still liked wearing often.

"Thank you Madame!" Belle said, before abiding her adieu, and heading into the village with her washing contraption.

Belle was setting up her washing invention, which she still hadn't given up on, when a dark shadow loomed over her. She looked up to see a pale, stick thin man, who was wearing all black and silver, laughing at her with the most horribly chilling laugh.

"What on earth are you doing, you silly Oddity!" He continued laughing at her whilst she worked until he noticed something. What he noticed was the royal ring on her finger. This… This couldn't be the girl the Prince was planning to marry! He had to put a stop to this! A potential princess, playing in the dirt!

"Remove this rubbish!" He yelled.

"What! No!" Belle said, turning to face him.

"You are disturbing this village's peace! As well as their morals, no doubt!" He was so intimidating that nobody said anything.

"Sir, I do believe-" Belle started.

"Silence! For these reasons, I must insist that you leave this place, and never return!"

"What?" Belle said quietly.

"You are banished! To Reverie!"

"Where is that?" Belle barely spoke in a whisper, but apparently he heard her, for he pointed towards the mountains on the horizon. The place Belle had looked at whilst yearning for adventure. She couldn't leave though. What about Adam? What about her father? What about everyone else she cared about? She couldn't just leave!

But she had no choice. This monster of a man almost dragged her to the gates, and watched as she started walking away. Even when she was a good mile away, and turned back to look at the village, he was still watching her. She just had to keep going. Even though she could hardly believe it.

 _She'd been banished._

 **So, what do you all think? If anyone's wondering what Ralph looks like, google The Minstrel from Sleeping Beauty and imagine him in live action, wearing even more clashing colors with a pudding bowl haircut. Oh, and Sir Theodore and Manny Maple are the teeniest bit based on Hercule Poriot and Miss Marple! I apologise if anyone seems OOC, I'm not trying to make them that way! Oh, and I know mountains aren't exactly visible on the horizons in the movie, but let's just say that they're there. For the sake of an interesting plot.**

 **Ok, that's all. Review!**


	2. Banishment and Meeting Servants

**Hi! I'm back with Chapter 2! Thank you so much to all who favourited and followed, and especially thank you to Ikahorse and Banzi for reviewing! I'm planning to update on Fridays (just to let you know) but that might change. I'm not sure this chapter is the best, but I do have good plans to come! I'm going to see Beauty and the Beast for the final time until it comes out on DVD (which might not be 'till like JULY!) tomorrow! Hopefully I'll get inspiration from it!**

 ** _The following musical number is done in time to the song 'Belle, Reprise'_**

 **Can you imagine! Me! Not owning Beauty and the Beast!**

 **Me, lonely, without the rights to**

 **My favourite movie!**

 **No sir! No way! I guarantee it! I want to own this movie desperately!**

 **But I sadly do not own Beauty and the Beast yet! DUN! DUN! DUN! DUN! DUN! DUN! DUN! DUN!** ** _DUN!_**

 **... Sorry, I have a habit of bursting into song. Needless to say, I don't own Beauty and the Beast (2017).**

Adam sighed. Freedom felt so much better after having to talk to Ralph for hours. It was funny how horrible experiences – Like talking to Ralph, or being turned into a beast – could make freedom all the more sweet. Belle had been lucky to escape, though now she was nowhere to be found. He heard a knock on the castle door, which Cogsworth opened to reveal a tall, dark shadow.

"Hello, your majesty," he said in an eerily calm and chilling voice, "I have been sent in place of Sir Maladroit."

"Pleasure to meet you, Sir?"

"Rebus. Crux Rebus."

"Sir Rebus. You are very welcome here, and I do hope Sir Maladroit is in health?"

"He recently had the influenza, and the doctors decided not to risk his coming here, for the doctor fears it may still be contagious."

"I understand. Well, please do send him my regards."

"Of course, your highness."

"The other dignitaries are currently in the library, I believe. Please do make yourself comfortable."

"May I ask who has arrived?"

"Only Sir Augustus, Sir Albrecht and Sir Theodore so far. Also Ralph, the nephew of Sir Dilatory, who sadly could also not be here, is visiting in his place."

"I do say, how unfortunate that two dignitaries couldn't be here!"

"It is very unfortunate, but does sometimes happen."

"Indeed. I will leave you in peace now, your highness." He bowed and turned to Cogsworth, who led him to his room.

oOo

Adam decided to go meet the dignitaries servants, as that was what Belle had mentioned doing earlier. The first servant he met was Lucy, Ralph's quiet, and overworked, maid.

"Thank you, your majesty," she said shyly in return to Adam's compliment.

"I see Ralph is still enjoying greeting in the traditional fashion."

"I apologise if he was a bit forward."

"Well, I can't say Belle's thrilled with the idea of greeting him again, if that's what you mean."

In response to this, Lucy blushed and bowed her head, looking ashamed of her master's behaviour.

"I have been meaning to ask, what is Sea Caviar? Ralph seems to absolutely love it." He changed the subject.

"Don't serve it, if that's what you're thinking of doing! Your highness."

"Why ever not?"

"They're sea urchins and sea cucumbers. I suggest you look them up in a sea creature book before you make it, Ralph has some strange tastes."

"I can't say it comes as a surprise to me. Have you seen my fiancée, Belle?"

"Sorry, your highness, I haven't even met her."

"Oh well, thank you for the tip on Sea Urchins."

Albrecht's footman was very quiet, speaking as little as possible before excusing himself to deliver Albrecht more papers. Mrs Camomile told him off for being in the servants quarters, before telling him that Belle went to see Manny Maple.

Manny Maple was the funniest housekeeper Adam had ever met. She seemed to be taking in every detail about him whilst making pleasant conversation.

"Ahh, yes! That lovely sweet girl! I must say, you caught a good one!"

"Why, thank you," Adam smiled, wholeheartedly agreeing.

"Such a determined personality! And she had the most lovely dress! I must say it looked very comfortable."

"Did she say where she was heading?"

"I think she said the village."

"Thank you, have a nice day."

"And you, Sir!"

So Belle was in the village, and by the sound of it trying one of her inventions. She would probably come back soon, bright eyed with rosy cheeks. She always seemed so happy to get the chance to make – to make whatever came to her head. In the villagers minds she was no doubt still 'a funny girl'. She didn't usually care, though he could hardly blame her for wanting to avoid all their peculiar visitors.

oOo

"Ah, how good it is to see you all again!" The chilling voice rang clearly through the sitting room.

"What excuse does Maladroit have this time?"

"Influenza."

"Well, zat's better zen falling down de stairs. Or tripping over zome stray jewel."

"Dilatory bailed on us as well. He sent his insufferable nephew in his place!"

"Ze one dat dresses like a drunk jester."

"That's the one."

Sir Rebus sat down in a creaky old chair and ignored Theodore and Augustus's cheerful chatteMar.

"Zo, what zo you think of ze girl de prince intends to marry?"

"I think she is a childish, bigheaded oddball!"

"Augustus, that is because she disagreed with you, if she had agreed with you, you would be declaring her a pleasure to be with," Albrecht said without looking up from his letters.

"That is not true! There have been people who disagreed with me and yet earned my favour!"

"Zere was one person, Monsieur."

"Well, that proves that it can be done!"

"With great difficulty, I presume?" The chilling voice brought their attention to the man hiding in the shadows.

"Well," Augustus didn't seem to want to admit that he was disagreeable,"I suppose that might be true..."

"None of you really liked this girl. She was silly and annoying. I already have gotten rid of her, now I need your help."

"I'm all in!" Augustus exclaimed.

"What I need you to do is distract His Majesty, preferably with other girls more to our taste. Or is that too much for your pea-sized brains to handle?"

"Of course not! I can't wait to start suggesting better maidens!" Augustus clapped his hands.

"I zon't know…" Theodore seemed doubtful, "But I zuppose... Maybe Ze Prince will want things to do… Life can get dull."

"Albrecht will help if you can find anything for him to do!" Augustus spoke for him.

"And of course, our biggest weapon!" Crux laughed creepily.

"Erm, what is our biggest weapon?"

"I'm sure his Highness will be delighted to spend time getting to know our little jester!" He smirked in a twisted way, before turning and closing the door dramatically.

"Zat did not require a zramatic exit."

"I'm not going to do anything," Albrecht said, still not looking up, "I'm going to read my books and ignore everyone if it kills me!"

"Albrecht, you really do make no sense sometimes," Augustus shook his head, puzzled.

oOo

Belle groaned as she climbed up the mountain. It was boiling hot and she had no idea where she was heading. She didn't know how she was going to get back to Adam. She didn't know why she wasn't heading straight back. She just wished that she could see what was beyond these mountains. But it was so hot. And she was so tired. She saw a bush or something not too far ahead of her. Maybe she could rest there. Rest, that was exactly what she needed.

oOo

Adam tried to stifle yet another groan as Ralph continued yapping about 'Sea Caviar'. The more he heard about it, the less he wanted to try it. Apparently Ralph was oblivious to this, as he found much joy in speaking about the sponge-like, slime-like texture.

He was still trying desperately not to shudder as Ralph went to join the dignitaries, probably much to their discontent.

Adam did hate being royal sometimes. Back before the curse, he sometimes used to wish that he could just live without anyone ever coming to bother him. He'd certainly got his wish - in the cruelest way possible. As a beast, not even his servants seemed to care anymore - and always being alone quickly made him feel like nobody cared. To be honest, he still thought that nobody had really liked him as a prince. But now he could see why - he'd been a beauty-obsessed, conceited, self centered jerk - and was trying to make it up to the dignitaries, however much they drove him crazy.

oOo

Belle sighed with intense relief as she collapsed in the shade. She never wanted to get up again. She even got out her book (which happened to be her favourite) and began to read. It felt almost like being in the gardens at the palace. Adam and her would sometimes sit for hours in the maze, reading undiscovered books and arguing about Romeo and Juliet. He still insisted that there was so much more to read than that silly story. Usually, when she would carry on arguing, he would kiss her. And tell her that he loved her, despite her bad taste in books. They would walk through the maze, hand in hand, just the two of them. Why did their lives have to be run by so many other people? The more she thought about Adam, the more she missed him. She didn't even get to say goodbye.

When she found tears involuntarily filling her eyes, she leaned back against the trunk of whatever this plant was. She got an odd feeling at one point, when she thought she heard something, but nothing was in sight. She decided that it was time to continue.

 **So, what do y'all think? Like I said, I'm going to see the movie so hopefully next chapter will be better! Here's a fun fact: Maladroit means clumsy and Dilatory means lazy! Oh, and do y'all think I should add chapter titles? For now I'm going to leave them, but if anyone wants them, review and tell me! :-) (Do you want me to do review replies in the chapters? Or would that just be annoying?)**

 **There's another reason I think the next chapter's going to be good!**

 **I have this new character, you see!**

 **I think she'll be amazing!**

 **But you won't get to meet her 'till chapter Three!**

 **...Sorry. Couldn't resist. Review, and catch ya next chapter!**


	3. The Girl Called Rose

**Hey! I'm so sorry for updating a day late :( ! I hope y'all think the chapter's good enough to make up for it! This chapter includes a song! (I don't know how good it** **is, but I've included it anyway, just because I felt like it fit well. I imagine the tune being similar to 'If you're going to San Francisco' from Forrest Gump, but it could be anything!).**

 **I don't own Beauty and the Beast (2017), but I do own the plot! And all my OCs! I feel pretty happy about that!**

 **Disney: Yes, we own one of the coolest princesses, all the good servants, the interesting Prince/Beast, and you own a bunch of grumpy old guys, a nutter, and some depressed workers.**

 **Well, that's something... :-S**

Belle took another deep breath. She'd been wandering for two days now and was desperate for water. The night had been beyond terrifying, and freezing cold as well. But now the sun was at it's peak, and Belle was boiling hot.

"Hey!" A loud voice broke Belle out of her thoughts.

"Hey!" The voice repeated, "You! Are you okay?"

Belle looked around. She couldn't see anyone, but the voice was most definitely there. Or was she just overtired and seriously dehydrated?

"I said, are you alright!?" The voice suddenly broke through her thoughts yet again.

"Who are you?" Belle questioned in reply.

"That's no concern. Do you need help?"

"I don't particularly want to accept help from a vonce without a source."

"Look up then," The Voice said cheerfully. Belle looked up towards the mountains, though she still couldn't see anyone.

"Down a little..." The Voice instructed, "To the side a bit... Turn around..." Belle turned and saw a girl on the mountain a bit above her. Before she could say anything the girl slid down, almost falling, and landed beside Belle.

"So, do you want some help?" The girl held up a strange flask like thing that had been attached to her waist.

"Okay..." Belle said slowly.

"Here you go then," The Girl handed Belle the flask, which was full of water, and an apple. Whilst she ate and drank appreciatively, she observed the strange girl. She had long, wild red hair which had a white flowers in, deep green eyes, and she was wearing a tattered and rather messy dress of green and greyish-white cloth with a very dirty apron that Belle assumed was once white. She watched whilst Belle ate and drank until she finished. She then folded her arms and began to speak, "Okay, I've helped you, and I'll help you more if you need it, but what will you give me in return?"

"What?" Belle was momentarily taken aback by the mysterious girl's forwardness, and had no idea what to say in response.

"I'm a survivor, you have to be to live out here, and surviving requires thinking for one's self a lot. I'll need something in exchange for my help."

Belle wasn't sure what she could possibly have that this girl would want, until she felt the hard book in her pocket and remembered that she'd put the book in to read whilst she did the washing. It probably wasn't what The Girl wanted, but it was all she had. "You probably don't want this," she started slowly, "But I do have a book. Would that be enough?"

To Belle's surprise, The Girl grinned and took the book, "Okay follow me then." And led Belle back up the mountain, much to her confusion.

oOo

"Ze Mademoiselle has still not returned," Lumiere said as he walked into the kitchen to get the dishes for The Master and The Dignitaries dinners.

"I do think something must have happened to her," Mrs Potts noted worriedly.

"Do you think it could be-" Plumette started, only to be interrupted by Mrs Camomile and Lucy coming into the kitchen.

"Well, don't let us spoil your conversation!" Mrs Camomile stuck her nose up and began to sniff each course, "To check that it's to Sir Augustus's standards," She insisted.

Thankfully the awkward silence was broken when the butcher boy came in with the meat that had been ordered.

Once Mrs Potts had picked up her order, Lucy sighed and collected hers, which was… Extravagant. To say the least.

When Mrs Camomile had declared the food fit for Augustus and left, and Lucy was putting the full pig, along with a great deal of other things, in the Ice Room, Plumette continued with her point, in a whisper.

"Do you think it could be one of The Dignitaries? After all, they did seem to take a disliking to her, and they have a lot of power. How can we be sure they didn't use it to their advantage?"

Whilst she was whispering, Bernadette and Lucy had walked into the room. Overhearing everything they'd said, Bernadette started a mock-Augustus impression.

"Why! You servants ought to be ashamed of yourselves! Gossiping about your superiors, who are perfectly innocent might I add, and not serving dinner!"

This caused everyone to turn around and notice Bernadette and Lucy.

"Uh oh…" Lumiere started.

"Don't worry," Lucy assured them, "I won't tell." She was going to say more but Cogsworth walked in, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"Honestly! The Master and our guests have been waiting for their dinner to arrive, and you haven't even served up the first course!" His moustache seemed to almost tick as he fumed about the servants incompetence. Mrs Potts hurriedly finished serving up and Lumiere and another footman collected them them to bring to the dining room, where everyone was impatiently waiting.

"Cogsworth, my friend!" Lumiere called down the steps, "Are you coming, or not?" To which Cogsworth hurried up behind them.

oOo

"So, what is this fiancee of yours like?" Crux Rebus nodded to Adam from the other end of the table, "I am yet to make her acquaintance."

"She is very outspoken, raised as a peasant, and has almost no manners whatsoever!" Augustus answered for him.

Theodore had the dignity to look embarrassed by his companion, Albrecht gave Augustus a look which made his emotion perfectly clear, and Crux Rebus raised one long thin eyebrow.

Noticing these not-so-subtle signs, Augustus attempted to correct himself, "I mean… She is very… funny. She is a very funny girl."

"Well, where has she got to?" Theodore changed the subject, as he often had to when he was with his fellow dignitaries.

"She is staying in the village for a short while, I think." Adam curtly replied, not being able to appreciate them insulting Belle, and trying not to lose his temper. He knew that he had a nasty temper.

"Well, I do hope to meet her again, she seemed delightful."

"Thank you."

"Speaking of maidens, are you planning on hosting any balls at any time soon? I remember you used to be quite the Party-Lover." Augustus said cheerfully before biting into a leg of meat.

"I actually don't have any parties planned."

"That's such a shame! Oh! You need an excuse don't you!"

"That's not really what I meant-"

"Well, surely our arrival would be reason enough for a grand ball!" Crux said, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, I'm sure it would be-"

"Then that's settled!" Augustus cheerfully exclaimed, "You shall host a ball in our honour, and I hope it is truly magnificent!"

Adam was going to dispute this but they all exited in agreement, as the last course had been served.

oOo

"So," Belle tried to make conversation with this strange girl, "What is your name?"

The girl thought for a moment before stating, "You may call me Rose."

"Rose. That's lovely." Belle had a lot of memories to do with roses, both good and bad.

"What is yours?" Rose asked, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side.

"Belle," She answered honestly.

"Belle. Beauty." Rose smiled, "It suits you."

"Thanks," Belle blushed a little, "Why do you call yourself Rose?"

"Because…" Rose softly began to sing.

 _There are thousands of flowers out here,_

 _All beautiful in their own way,_

 _Though some can sometimes be deadly,_

 _None of them can compare,_

 _The beauty of the most mysterious flower!_

 _To see one again I'd be willing to climb a tower!_

 _For find one, I wished I would!_

 _But nature is nature, as be nature should!_

 _For here I am climbing,_

 _With flowers in my hair,_

 _Though those flowers are pretty,_

 _Nothing can compare,_

 _The beauty of the most mysterious flower!_

 _Even if they have no magical power!_

 _For find one, I wished would!_

 _But nature is nature, be as nature should!_

 _I know it may look bleak out here,_

 _Compared to what you know and hold dear,_

 _But if the rain comes when you're with me!_

 _Thousands of flowers there will be…_

During her song Rose had been dancing, and they'd made it to the top. There, Belle saw a sight that she had never imagined there would be over the dusty and rocky mountains.

There was a river in a valley, surrounded by a lush green forest. She could hear birds singing, and the whole forest had this beautiful feeling of life.

Rose smiled and gestured around with her hand, "Welcome to Reverie!"

 **And there you go! What do y'all think of Rose?** ** _Review_** **and tell me! I'm sorry if anyone's OOC, I'm not the best at writing them :-(. And the song! I still don't think it's very good... But it's ok, I guess (quoted Inside Out :)!). Reverie is based on The Plitvice Lakes in Croatia, where I went a couple of weeks ago, which is also the cover! If you search it up, just be warned I'm basing Reverie on a** ** _slightly_** **less utopian place! (I went when it was cold and slightly less green).**

 **Ok, that's all! Please** ** _REVIEW_** **! (I know I'm desperate :-P)!**


	4. Evil Plots and Manipulation

**Hi! I'm so, so sorry for not updating in ages! :( This is Chapter 4! Sorry it's a bit short, but I really wanted to get something out for you all to read!**

 **I don't own Beauty and the Beast (2017). And have you seen the behind the scenes of Dan Stevens' suit? I will never be able to watch the ballroom scene in the same way again! :D**

"Are you sure?" Adam asked Cogsworth anxiously. He received a curt nod in reply.

"We have searched in every possible place, she appears to have vanished. I'm sorry." He added, which surprised Adam. After all, Cogsworth was not usually the sentimental sort. Maybe it was because of his less than fairytale marriage.

"We'll find her." Adam said determinedly, "Wherever she is."

But where was she? He found himself wondering as he walked away from Cogsworth, longing for Belle more than ever.

oOo

"So, have you lived here your whole life?" Belle asked Rose, looking around the cave where Rose apparently lived.

"Sorry," Rose said as she laid firewood down, "But I don't do backstory."

"Why ever not?" Belle asked curiously. All she'd ever wanted was to know who she was and where she had come from, she couldn't imagine not wanting to talk about it.

"What is important is the present, not what cannot be changed," She answered calmly, "Blackberry?"she offered Belle the strange fruit, ending the conversation abruptly.

"Well..." Belle responded, as she was weary of strange things in this strange forest, yet after she'd tried the fruit she realised it was delicious. Maybe she needed to be a bit more cheerful.

oOo

Crux Rebus watched The Prince return from his ride, defeated yet still hoping that the woman he loved would return. Thankfully Crux knew better. Yet he needed to get the prince's attention towards other, more appropriate, suitors.

What he needed was 'proof' that That Girl was never returning.

He decided to write a note (forged in _that girl's_ handwriting) which would make it clear that she was not coming back.

oOo

"Oh Augustus! You still haven't tried Sea Caviar! Come!" Ralph pulled the irritated dignitary towards the kitchens whilst Theodore silently cried with laughter.

As Theodore dries his eyes, the large bat like Crux Rebus enters the room.

"I trust something amusing has happened."

"No. Not zat much. Zust zat crazy Ralph."

Ralph, yes. Crux pondered. Ralph was so stupid that he wouldn't question what he was asked to do. He might be just what Crux needed.

He stood up and left without a word.

When he got to the kitchens, he heard Augustus being irritated into eating Ralph's favourite delicacy. He made sure he entered after Ralph proclaimed "What a shame! There is none left!" and Augustus exited, trying (and failing) to act dignified.

"Mounsier Ralph." He spoke to the cheerful lad, who at the moment was wearing a hideously clashing outfit of greens, yellows and reds.

"Sir Rebus. Why do you have such a grim name anyway?" The lad, foolishly, questioned him.

He took a deep breath and refrained from attacking the irritating boy. He knew that Ralph was a common thief, he had seen him stealing spoons from when he was just a young lad.

"I need your help."

"You do?" Ralph looked puzzled, no doubt he was used to being unwanted, though he didn't fully realise it.

"Yes, follow me." Crux said and gesturing out the door.

"Ok..." Ralph followed Crux up to the library, where thankfully nobody was (as Adam was still looking for Belle).

"Ok, Ralph. I'm going to get to the point here," Crux turned to face the idiot, "I banished the unworthy peasant whom the Prince has fallen for-" He ignored Ralph's gasp of surprise, "And I need your help to cover it."

"Who says I'll help you?" The boy stubbornly crossed his arms, much like a toddler.

"You're a common thief." Crux stated calmly, "If you do not help, I will tell everyone."

He could see Ralph becoming uneasy.

"And bring shame upon your family. Is that really what you want?" He leaned in so close that he could see the tiny tears on the boy's eyelashes.

"Fine." Ralph sighed. Even he could tell that this was wrong.

"Good." Crux straightened up. "You will write a note, in the peasant's hand, saying what I will dictate. I have a sample of her writing here." He brought a small piece of paper out from the folds of his cloak.

For a few minutes there was no sound other than the scrabbling of Ralph's pen and Crux's quiet voice.

"Where did you banish her to?" Ralph asked suddenly.

"Reverie." Crux replied, "Now carry on writing!"

Several minutes later Ralph finished, and Crux read through the letter. It was perfect. The Prince would be heartbroken, but heartbreak often provided the opportunity for a eligible, beautiful young Lady, maybe even Princess, to step into his life and help him.

"Ok Ralph, you may go. But remember a word to _anyone_ and your secret is out. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir Rebus," Ralph responded politely, but when Crux's back was turned he gave him a look of hate and made a rude gesture at 'Sir Rebus' as he walked away.

oOo

"Your majesty?" Lumiere took Adam's cloak as he walked through the doorway, "Any sign of her?"

"No," Adam replied, "But she will come back. We love each other."

 **And there you have it! Sorry if it's a bit short, but I hope you like it all the same! Please REVIEW if you liked it! I do love blackberries, though I actually like apples more, I don't know why Belle might have never tried a blackberry, but I'm sure that y'all will come up with some reason if you put your minds to it! ;P **

**I'm sorry about the long wait! I promise I will finish this story, however long it takes! :D**


	5. Escape Attempt

**Hello! Welcome to Chapter 5! We're about halfway through (sorry, I'm not amazing at long writing in general. I think the length of some of the fanfiction on this site is insane (in a good way)), so this will probably be 10-12 chapters long. Why? Because they are nice, even numbers to stop at. (One of my pet peeves is when books end at chapter 23, or some other random number).**

 **Anyways, on with the-!**

 **DISNEY: Hold it!**

 **ME: What?!**

 **DISNEY: You're forgetting something**

 **ME: You mean the disclaimer? Well, I've been reading up about that, and it is not actually required, so I have decided to not give it to you!**

 **DISNEY: _*Piercing Glare*_**

 **ME: Fine! I don't own Beauty and the Beast! Or any other Disney movie! Or Disney! My dreams are crushed!**

 **DISNEY: Thank you. *Walks off***

 **Yeah, I'm afraid I don't own Beauty and the Beast (2017).**

Belle sat, pondering. She knew she had to get back to the castle. She had to get back to Adam. Leaving him wasn't an option; even if every annoying dignitary prevented her marrying him, she would still stay close to him, and she would always love him.

Which was why she had to join him. Her feet almost got up of their own accord, and she calmly began walking back to Villeneuve. Back to Adam.

oOo

He would not cry. He would not cry. Adam de Beaufort told himself adamantly. She was just a girl. A silly thing.

No.

He couldn't get back into that mindset. He couldn't let himself think like that. Belle had shown him how to love; something he would cherish and never forget, however painful.

He almost didn't believe it. But the note was written by Belle, no doubt about that. And it was convincing. It told him that whilst she did feel an affection for him, she did not love him in the way he was hoping, and thought it would be best if she just left. Because she wanted adventure.

It was horrible, worse than being transformed into a beast could ever be. But she had loved him. The curse had been broken.

But nobody ever said it had to be romantic love.

He groaned and took a swig straight from his wine bottle, trying to drown his sorrows. And he had a bloody ball tonight that the dumb dignitaries had cooked up. What was he supposed to do?

oOo

As Belle hiked determinedly on, she remembered back when she was exploring the castle. Something that had a lot to do with Roses.

oOo

Belle walked down the corridor of the dark castle, further than she had ever before. She came to a deserted hall, which was freezing. She pulled her jacket down her arms even more and began to explore.

A trace of red paint attracted her attention. It led on to a green strand. Eventually, after a lot of cobweb sweeping, Belle saw a painting, which trailed along the floor, walls, and ceiling, of many, many roses.

She never told anyone about it. She'd tried to mention it to Adam, then Beast, but he refused to talk. So she'd left it. She had almost forgotten about it until now.

oOo

Belle was so deep in thought that she didn't notice the ragged, short figure making it's way towards her.

"Hello, Peasant." He grinned nastily, showing several rotten and yellow teeth.

He suddenly lunged at her, and Belle screamed and began to run, heading back towards the forest. She could see the river ahead. He was right on her tail. She felt him grab the back of her dress, and she kicked him away. But it did nothing.

Suddenly, Belle felt herself being pulled away and swung on a vine over the river. She almost breathed a sigh of relief. She was alive!

Then the vine snapped and Belle, along with Rose, was plunged into the ice cold river.

Swimming in the water, Belle felt Rose guide her towards the cave. They both swam until they got there, and collapsed, exhausted.

"What-the-hell-were-you-thinking?!" Rose choked out, coughing and spluttering.

"I-" Belle felt slightly embarrassed, "I had to go back!"

Rose stared at Belle in complete disbelief.

Belle sighed. If Rose was going to understand, she would have to know the whole story. But she had just saved her life, so Belle owed her the truth.

Maybe even more than that.

oOo

So the whole story poured out. How Adam had been turned into a beast. How she had saved him with love. How they would have been living happily ever after if it weren't for those stupid dignitaries.

When she finished, Rose just sat for a minute with an extremely amused expression on her face.

"He got transformed into a beast?" She said and, after Belle nodded, burst out laughing.

"Don't worry," she assured Belle, "I believe you. It just is so strange!"

"I know," Belle nodded, as a thought occurred to her, "Rose, did you know Adam?"

Rose dried her eyes and sighed.

"Yes. I was a ward at the palace - a child who they raised. It was his mother who arranged it. Thought it would be nice for him to have a playmate.

"His father didn't agree. He hated me, and wasn't afraid to show it. So, Adam followed suit, treating me like one of the servants.

"Princey wasn't so bad when he was on his own. We used to read together in the Rose Garden. Under that twisty tree."

The same place Belle sat and read with Adam.

"But one day I got charged with a crime. It normally would only be worth two days jailing, but he was feeling cruel.

"He charged me with banishment. For life. That's how I ended up here. That's why I don't do backstory. I hate even thinking about it."

"I'm sorry." Belle said humbly, "If we return, I promise he'll apologise. He has changed, honestly. But I understand if you have changed your opinions of us now."

"Of course not!" Rose hugged Belle, "You're the closest thing I'll ever have to a sister!"

Belle smiled. This was almost worth being attacked by the crazy guy.

Almost.

oOo

Adam sat back and moaned. The ball had been a complete disaster. Augustus was pushing women towards him, so much that Adam had began to think that Augustus considered a moment Adam wasn't with a lady was a moment wasted.

He groaned and collapsed in one of the armchairs of the library. Theodore had sat reading a book the entire ball, and Adam had been envying him the entire time. And Ralph-

Adam buried his head in his hands.

"Well, I would consider that to have been an exemplary party, wouldn't you agree?"

"Think of the devil," Adam muttered quietly, which Ralph took as agreement.

"It was very fun." Sir Augustus, Sir Rebus, and Sir Theodore had all entered behind Ralph. Couldn't Adam have one moment of peace?

"I cannot have imagined a better way to spend the evening," Sir Rebus bowed dramatically.

"Well, I doubt you have much of an imagination," Adam involuntary thought of Belle, and the wonders her mind could create.

"Sorry, didn't catch that." Crux turned to Adam.

"I said," Adam spoke in a clearer voice, "It was certainly beyond my expectations." Though definitely not in a positive way, he added silently.

"Oh, brilliant!" Augustus said so merrily Adam began to suspect that he had been at the wine.

"I think we should do another one!" Theodore said very unenthusiasticly.

"Bloody brilliant idea!" Augustus boomed in an irritatingly bouncy way whilst Ralph clapped his hands with glee.

Adam tried not to bang his head against the wall. They were obviously set on torturing him. Why? Losing Belle was a huge emotional blow to him, and now it felt like he was partying about it. Why did he have to be royal? Why did he have to gain these people's approval? Why?!

Above the sounds of Ralph and Augustus dancing very drunkenly, Theodore loudly stacking books and Adam obviously resisting the impulse to get down on his knees and question his life and sanity, something he had done before (though for very different reasons), Crux held up his hands to call for quiet. In the way people without this natural gift can only dream about. There was a brief silence.

"How about tomorrow evening?" Crux smiled in a way so evil it sounded almond as though he was planning a murder.

Little did anyone know, he was.

 **Dun! Dun! DUN! No prizes for guessing who he's going after (though I might just surprise you!)! Hope you all are looking forward to Chapter 6 as much as I am!**

 **Also, sorry for the light swearing in this chapter. :)**

 **DISNEY QUESTION OF THE DAY: What's your favourite villain song? I love Ursula and 'Poor Unfortunate Souls' way too much! :D**

 **Oh, and THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE FAVS AND FOLLOWS! I know 8 favs and 14 follows might not seem like a lot to some people, but it's massive for me! (You can tell that I've never shared any of my work before, can't you :D) THANK YOU! :D**


	6. Shakespeare at Midnight

**Hello! Firstly, I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN AGES! I feel terrible! It has been too long and I am so so so sorry! :( I'm not going to drag out this author's note, I'm just going to let you get on and read it!**

 **I don't own Beauty and the Beast (2017), or Romeo and Juliet! (though does anyone really, because if someone does, they must be like a gazillionaire!)**

"How do you do this?" Belle asked as she desperately attempted to light a fire.

"Practice." Rose answered simply. "And I suppose we all have our natural talents. I could never make something which did the laundry for me. That's very impressive.

"Thank you. But that wasn't really natural talent, that was hard work. And," she added bitterly after a pause, "Look where that's got me now."

"Ah, cheer up!" Rose clapped her on the back as she sat down and began rubbing twigs together, "Grumpiness never got anybody anywhere in this forest!"

Less than ten minutes later, Rose's twig rubbing had turned into a roaring fire. She was carefully getting plants out of the way of flames when Belle walked in, soaking wet and holding several fish in one hand.

"I see you went fishing and swimming," Rose teased.

"I'm just not a natural fisher!" Belle tried to defend herself.

"You mean you aren't a natural outdoorsman." Rose corrected her cheerily, "It doesn't matter." Rose took the fish and struck a stick through half of them, "You'd better strip and hang those up though," she gestured to Belle's wet clothes.

oOo

Balls, balls, balls. That's all royal life was at the moment. Try as he might, Adam wasn't finding himself with the ability to get out of any of them. It was funny, when he thought about it. In his pre-curse times, a ball every night would be a dream come true, now he was just desperate for it to all end.

Whilst he was pondering, Lumiere entered.

"Master," he waited until he had the prince's full attention, "I just thought I should warn you that ze dignitaries are heading this way. If you wish to avoid them you should probably exit now."

Adam nodded, "Thank you Lumiere." And, as soon as the former candelabra had left, began packing up his writing desk in a massive hurry. He then exited the library, taking care to take the least likely route possible. As a result, he had some strange looks from maids as he rushed down the servants staircases. But that did not matter. He was not going to another bloody ball.

oOo

It was midnight. Or at least around that. Belle had no track of time whatsoever in the middle of Reverie Forest. It was quite a change, really, compared with life back at the castle, where Cogsworth kept things running to the minute. Belle was pretty sure that, if he was capable of it, Cogsworth would have everyone in the castle running like clockwork.

She wondered if he was as successful at ordering the dignitaries about as he was everyone else. She thought about Ralph, and his strange habits, Sir Theodore when absorbed in a good book, Sir Albrecht when writing his letters and documents, and the flamboyant Sir Augustus, who liked tradition, but would probably be too busy admiring his own reflection to care what the lowly butler was trying to say.

It was funny, how Belle felt she knew all about these people. She hadn't spent more than two hours with them in total. Part of it was how distinctive their characters were. Looking at them, you felt like their whole characters and lives were open books, ready to read. All except that one in the village. If he was a dignitary at all. Perhaps she would ask Rose in the morning. That was the other way Belle knew so much about these strangers; Rose had met them many a time when she lived at the castle. In fact, to Belle's astonishment, she seemed to quite like them. Even Augustus.

Of course, Rose still didn't love talking about her life back at the castle, but she seemed less secretive now.

At the moment she was sleeping, a thing of great importance, as she'd made very clear to Belle from the beginning of their partnership. Belle had no clue how she could be so comfortable on the rocky floor. Belle couldn't get to sleep at all.

Defeated, she pulled on the rest of her now dry clothes. Oh, the warmth. Nothing like the now extinguished fire, but still pleasant all the same.

She then made her way towards the open exit of the cave. She could see thousands of stars in the sky. She found her mind endlessly wondering. What was Adam doing now? When would the dignitaries leave? Was her dear Papa okay?

In an attempt to calm herself down, she recited a part of the familiar prologue of her favourite book.

 _"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes_

 _A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;_

 _Whose misadventur'd piteous overthrows_

 _Doth with their death bury their parents' strife._

 _The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,_

 _And the continuance of their parents' rage,_

 _Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,"_

When she finished, she cambered back into the cave and, with the slight added comfort of her cloak, fell into a tired sleep.

oOo

Adam could not sleep. Try as hard as he may, he could simply not drift away. It was funny how you could attempt to forget your darkest woes during the day, yet they returned and haunted you with the night.

He sighed and did the only thing he could think to do when he was tired. He went to the balcony and recited a few lines from Romeo and Juliet.

 _"Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,_

 _Having some business, do entreat her eyes_

 _To twinkle in their spheres till they return._

 _What if her eyes were there, they in her head?_

 _The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,_

 _As daylight doth a lamp."_

This made him think of Belle, though now in a soft and comforting way. It was as if she was right beside him, telling him all would be okay. And somehow, he believed this. There would be a happy ending. Their story would not end as that of Romeo and Juliet.

 **There you go! I'm sorry that it isn't longer, I'm sorry again for the long wait (I promise I won't take so long to update next time!), and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Oh! I almost forgot!**

 **DISNEY QUESTION OF THE DAY: What's your favourite animated non-Disney-princess movie? I don't know if this counts, but I love Anastasia!**

 **Thank you for all the favs and follows, people! Please review if you had any thought whatsoever about this chapter, and I'll see you next update! (Which will not be in forever!) :D**


	7. Background Stories

***Creeps in, hoping to hand over chapter without Fanfiction noticing* *Falls on face and throws chapter at readers* So *looks very sheepish* I am a nightmare at updating, aren't I? Don't worry, you can all yell at me in your reviews.**

 **I do not own Beauty and the Beast (2017). Disney does *gestures to massive area full of castles, singing mice, and Disney Princesses. Oh, and Pinocchio!***

Rose was the first to awake the next morning, realising that she had a rock in her 'bed', making her extremely uncomfortable. Goodness gracious, imagine what a real bed would feel like _now,_ after all this time. She grinned to herself. She would probably hate it. There had always been something rather wild about her, even in her childhood, something that made her gutsy and adventurous. At least in her mind. And that was all that mattered.

She glanced over at Belle's sleeping form. It was strange, having company in Reverie Forest, the place she had always associated with loneliness and solitude. She had never been much of a conversationalist, and had quite honestly been just fine with her own company. At least, for a while. She had definitely hit some low points, she recalled with a shudder, over the past few years. Like when she had started talking to her food. Or when she had begun to greet the waterfall as a best friend. Or when she went full on princess and tried to sing to the woodland creatures. They had fled as fast as they possibly could.

Needless to say, Rose had never been that great of a singer.

oOo

When was Belle going to return home? Chip knew that all good things came to those who waited, but waiting for books was, as Belle would put it, a whole different thing entirely. Obviously he wasn't _just_ waiting for the books, because no one would read them like Belle did, not even his mother (though he would never tell her that). Mum was busy, making things in the kitchen. Chip liked the kitchen, but it was very bus at the moment. Everybody was working very hard to make the rich people happy. Chip didn't quite understand why. The rich people weren't very nice to their servants. Of course, Prince Adam had been not very nice as well. But he had got nicer. Maybe the bossy rich men could get nicer as well.

Maybe he would go see the rich people's servants.

oOo

Organisation is one of the most important parts of life.

That's what Manny Maple, head housekeeper of Professor Pierre Theodore's stately home, always lived by. After all, you can have an incredible brain, but if you can't organise your ideas, you won't get anywhere.

That was why she was trying to organise Mrs Potts and Mrs Camomile, who were having a territory fight over the kitchens.

"I have served hundreds of Kings and Royal Ambassadors over the years!" Mrs Camomile snapped.

"This is my kitchen, and I shall decide what is cooked here!" Mrs Potts fumed.

"Your cooking is rusty; you haven't cooked in years. Of course, I doubt it was that satisfactory in the first place." Was the drawling response.

Mrs Potts had gone red with anger. "How dare you insult me like that!" She just short of screamed.

The ensuing fight was almost indecipherable; Manny Maple could swear that she heard "You cold-blooded witch!" and "You chipped teapot!" a few times, but pointing that out would do no help whatsoever.

"Ladies!" She said, eerily calm.

Mrs Potts and Mrs Camomile both stopped screaming and turned to face the elderly housekeeper.

"Now, Mrs Potts, can you tell me how this fight began?" Manny inquisitively questioned the more rational of the two women.

Mrs Potts took a deep breath and began to explain. "I had stepped out of the kitchen for a minute to sort out my son, Chip, who was bored and distracting the servants at this critical time. When I returned, I found Mrs Camomile," she spat the name with disgust, "Ordering all the food to be sent out, and all the kitchen workers to leave. Apparently, she thought that the cooking was so terrible, we should give up altogether!"

"If the kitchens here cannot make a meal fit for a royal dignitary, they are not fit to cook at all!" Mrs Camomile snapped.

Manny Maple paused, and mused over the situation. On one hand, Mrs Potts was completely right; Mrs Camomile was being completely irrational. On the other hand, Mrs Camomile obviously wanted the best for her master at heart, and would not stand down until she got her way.

"I think that I have an arrangement that will suit both of you equally. Mrs Potts and the rest of the kitchen staff will continue making food for their master, and his guests. However, anything being sent up to Sir Augustus, Sir Albrecht, or Sir Rebus, if he so wishes, will be checked over by Mrs Camomile. If she deems it unworthy for consumption by these men, she can either remake the dish or alter it as she pleases. Does this suit both od you?"

"That will suit us nicely." Mrs Potts nodded.

"If that is what it takes to serve my master decent food, then I am willing." Mrs Camomile nodded reluctantly.

"Splendid." Manny Maple nodded, "I shall leave you all to your preparations now."

Everything could be sorted if one was reasonable, logical, and kept their temper.

oOo

"Is this what being a dignitary is like all of the time?" Ralph wondered aloud.

"Not all of the time." Albrecht commented wryly.

"Theodore, my friend, can you help me!" Augustus exclaimed. He was sitting on a squashy red sofa, desperately reaching for the rope that called servants to them.

"Whatzever is wrong?" Theodore asked.

"I want some fruits to nibble on, but - I - can't - quite - reach-!" Augustus huffed with every attempt to stretch out his arm far enough.

Theodore was already on his feet, heading towards the rope and giving it a large tug, before heading back to his book."

"But, yes." Albrecht finished his statement. "This is most of what being a dignitary is."

A maid appeared, already holding a gold fruit bowl filled with apples, pears, and grapes.

"Ah!" exclaimed Augustus, "I see you have all learned my regular mid-afternoon snack!"

"Indeed sir." the maid curtseyed, "Will that be all?"

"Yes, this is most satisfactory... Um... What's your name?"

"Chloe, sir." Chloe curtseyed again.

"Thank you Chloe. You may go." Augustus waved his hand and Chloe exited the room.

Ralph smiled, propping up his feet and munching an apple. Being a dignitary was sure relaxing.

oOo

Maurice added the final detail to the delicate music box, then sat back and admired the beautiful model castle he had crafted. He was going to give it to Belle for Christmas. He did miss Belle, now that she spent most of her time up at the castle with her fiancee - he still couldn't believe it. His little girl, getting married! Before he knew it, she would be having children of her own! What a time that would be! He knew that Belle's mother would have loved life as a grandmother, and been so proud of Belle. Someday, they would reunite and have a lengthy discussion about Belle's taste in men. But for now, he could only hope that where ever she was, she knew exactly how far their little daughter had come. All of these moments, lasting forever in memories, stories, journals, statues and paintings.

He carefully put the music box in a box, and wrapped it. It was all ready for what was sure to be the best Christmas in years. After all, nothing can go wrong when one has love to rely on.

 **So... There you go. I'm not going to do two thousand apologies, but I hope I can still get across how genuinely sorry I am for taking so long to update. It's unacceptable, and I will definitely try to work on it!**

 **DISNEY QUESTION OF THE DAY: Favourite 'classic' Disney movie? I will always have a special place in my heart for Sleeping Beauty, because it was the first Disney movie I ever watched.**

 **Sorry that there wasn't much plot in this chapter, I just wanted to explore the background characters a bit (and yes, my beloved OCs)**

 **Please _REVIEW_ and tell me what you thought! Thank you all my favouriters and followers! I'll be back with my next chapter soon!(hopefully!)! BYE! **

***Vanishes back into the capacious depths of the internet***


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